Browsing by Author "Kabwe, Kabaso"

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    Assessing the utility of Kingdon’s multiple streams framework for studying policy implementation : a case study of mobile hospitals in Lusaka Province, Zambia
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12) Kabwe, Kabaso; Adams-Jack, Ubanesia; Lambrechts, Derica; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Despite policy implementation research being 30 years and having been analysed using various perspectives, very few have analysed it using Kingdon’s (1984) multiple streams framework. Whether the framework can be applied to analyse stages of the policy process such as policy implementation has been debated in policy studies. The few studies which have applied the framework have mainly used it to analyse policy implementation from the perspective of explaining a policy implementation gap. This research uses the framework to assess its utility for furthering our understanding of policy implementation, using mobile hospitals in Lusaka Province, Zambia as a case. The study argues that the multiple streams framework in its current state does not provide an adequate lens through which to study policy implementation in this context due to its limited focus on the impact of institutional factors on policy. Access to health care services for all is one of the main challenges facing the Zambian health system. Mobile hospitals were introduced in 2011 to help address inequities in accessing health care in rural areas. Using qualitative methodology and data collection methods such as observation, key informant in-depth interviews, and a review of several secondary sources, this dissertation sought to answer the main question, “What is the value of Kingdon’s multiple streams framework for studying policy implementation?” The study found that while the framework was not comprehensively illuminating in certain aspects, it was however valuable as it brings into focus the agenda setting and policy formulation stages of the policy process when studying policy implementation which other approaches to implementation do not necessarily do. Doing so helps to provide a better understanding of policy implementation. The study argues that a study of policy implementation using a multiple streams framework must begin by examining the political structure in which actors operate. To enable a contextualised understanding of policy implementation, the study, therefore, modified the framework by placing institutional factors at the centre of the political stream because they affect policy implementation in contexts where executive power is strong and other institutions and non-state actors are weaker. This means that the president, as head of the executive has significant impact on policy implementation, and the influence of other actors is limited. The study contributes to policy implementation literature and to debates on refining the multiple streams framework to address some of its limitations.